Today was the final day of this year’s EGX! With time running out I had a very strict schedule to stick to in order to ensure that I saw everything I wanted to. Today’s highlights included Sea of Thieves, the finale of the cosplay competition and a few more indie games.

Sea of Thieves (from Rare of Goldeneye 64 and Banjo-Kazooie fame) has been one of the most popular attractions at the show this year with queues of up to four hours long. When I finally made it to an Xbox booth to play Sea of Thieves (two and a half hours queuing for me) I found the game has a charming cartoon style which seems to be a mash up of Wind Waker HD and Campo Santo’s Firewatch. The demo sees you control a ship as part of a crew (with the others playing the demo) as you sail across the sea, explore sunken shipwrecks and fight off other pirates. Playing this multiplayer game was a really fun experience and definitely worth the long queue. Sea of Thieves really is shaping up to be a great exclusive and a must buy for any Xbox fan.

Next, I headed to the Rezzed section to have a go at some of this year’s biggest and most anticipated indie games. First on my list was Lake Ridden which is a thrilling adventure set in a dark forest. You play as Marie as she searches for her lost younger sister. Lake Ridden was an interesting experience. I played both the standard demo and the exclusive press pass demo, both of which were filled with clever puzzles, riddles and fantasy hooks strong enough to make you disappointed to see the demo end. The most exciting thing about Lake Ridden is that it really reminded me of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, a great mystery adventure that may have influenced development.

Town of Light was next on my indie games list. The game explores mental health and attempts to give those unaffected insight into the trials and tribulations of a sufferers everyday life. I found this first-person game to be very eerie and quite chilling in places; the abandoned mental institution is a fitting setting and I felt myself worrying for a main character that I didn’t even have that much time with. The dialogue is unsettling and caused me to feel apprehensive about what I would find behind each unopened door, although I never saw anything too scary – big horrors might have been left for the full game. Town of Light is already out so if you’re interested in this experience then please do go and download it.

Heading back over to the Xbox stand I tried my hand at Cuphead along with SXO Twitter-friend Shaun Sannerude. Playing as a co-op team against two bosses we soon discovered just how manic and difficult Cuphead is! It’s also extremely addictive meaning that when you die you want to jump straight back into the fast-paced action. The graphics look great and they really make this game unique. Along with Sea of Thieves this game made me wish that I owned an Xbox! Cuphead will be released on the 29^th September so not long to wait at all!

Finally, I played a charming indie called Figment. This demo saw two unlikely sidekicks exploring a clean and peaceful world and fighting off the evil that threatened to consume it. My favourite thing about this title was its beautifully designed scenery. The world is based on an oil painting and the brush strokes can still be seen on the screen. This artsy touch really endeared me to the game as it was a welcome break from the ultra-realism trend so prevalent these days.

So that was my EGX 2017 experience! Thanks to everyone who kept up with my adventures via @Square_XO, everyone who came and spoke to me on the show floor, and everyone who read my daily roundups! I’ll leave you with a few choice favourites that I’ll always remember from this year’s show.

Favourite Cosplay – Silent Hill Pyramid Head Lady (Never got her name, sorry!!)

Favourite PS4 Game – Detroit: Become Human

Favourite Xbox Game – Sea of Thieves

Favourite Nintendo Game – Super Mario Odyssey

Favourite Indie Game – Lost Words

Best Multiplier – Sea of Thieves

SXO Best Game In Show – Detroit: Become Human

Thanks for reading – @Rebeccastow97